ROSES (Oli Sykes Fan Fiction) COMPLETE

BIG SUR

The rest of our days in Malibu were relaxed and fun, and Oli and I grew closer yet still took things super slowly. We went for walks along the beach and he held my hand, we paddled and swam with Ivy, we built sandcastles and Oli piggy-backed me down the beach one afternoon too. We cuddled on the day bed and the lounge and we talked endlessly about anything and everything. Oli slept in my bed with me for the last two nights and we kissed innocently but we didn't take it further than that. I guess he would have liked to, but I just wasn't ready for it, especially not with everyone else in the house. Oli never said the 'L' word to me again, but I felt his love in the way he spent all of his time with me, doted on me, cooked for me, played with my hair or held my hand... he really was doing everything to prove himself to me, even his patience and understanding of my fears showed me that he meant what he said. He never pushed or pressured me for more than what I was giving him, he gave me the space to process everything while still letting me know he was there for me and that meant the world to me.

On our last morning in Malibu, we all gathered at 8am to have a final breakfast together in the dining room. I was sad to be saying goodbye to the guys, but also happy for the chance to have proper alone time with Oli to work on our relationship. I think having everyone around us hindered me, it just put an un-necessary stress on the situation, even though the guys never really said much about it. Oli helped me pack Ivy's things once he'd done his own suitcase, and he carried them down to the car for me like a gentleman. I remembered when I was on tour with the band and Oli never even helped me with my bag... now he was doing literally everything for me, I guess things like that made Oli's changes obvious. He'd grown up so much and treated me so differently now. 

I was excited to get to San Francisco, excited to actually be alone with Oli, but also really excited for him to join us on the drive back to the city. The coastal route was beautiful and dotted with places to stop and see things like Big Sur's Bixby Bridge, the butterfly conservatory in Pacific Grove, the Santa Cruz boardwalk with it's old wooden rollercoaster... there's even a beach where you can spot elephant seals on the sand, with beautiful viewing platforms built by a non-profit that helps with their conservation. I had so many things I wanted to show him, though I wasn't sure if Cassidy would want to stop too much. I had also organised a little surprise overnight stop in Big Sur; opting for a two-bedroom cabin nestled amongst the redwoods rather than a room at the Hyatt in town. The cabin felt nicer, it even has it's own fire pit and outdoor bathtub! I hadn't told him about it, but I hoped he would like the change of scenery from beach to forest. 

When everyone had finished packing and eating, the guys relaxed on the deck one last time, waiting for the band's van to come to take them to LAX, while we finished packing the last of our things into Cass' car. Our drive up to Big Sur was going to take five hours and I wanted to stop at a couple of places along the way, so we decided to head off ahead of their departure at 11am. I felt sad about saying goodbye to everyone, especially Mat, but I mostly felt bad for Cassidy knowing that she would have to say goodbye to Brian. She took it in her stride and made sure not to let anyone see how much she hated it, but I could see in her eyes that she was a little upset. I think she liked him more than she admitted to anyone, including herself. 

I went around and hugged everyone, telling Matt and Tilly to come up to San Francisco any time to visit since they were in LA, and of course telling everyone else I would see them in London in just a few weeks. I was so excited for that, though I had somewhat forgotten about it over the past few days in Malibu. I was most sad to say goodbye to Mat because we got along so well, but he gave me the biggest hug and assured me he'd come to Oli's place as soon as I had arrived in Sheffield because he was going to miss Ivy. That was very sweet. I didn't want Cass to feel weird, so Oli and I headed out to the car and got in while we waited for her. It was just after 10am when she jumped in and we waved goodbye to everyone, hitting the road to head back toward San Francisco.